One-tonne bears, sloths the size of elephants and sabre-toothed cats all happily coexisted with humans for up to 3,000 years, but were extinct within 300 years after the climate of South America rapidly warmed.

Heavy rains battering central Chile leave an estimated 4 million people without drinking water, as landslides wreak havoc and rivers breach their banks, leaving at least one person dead and closing the world's largest underground copper mine.

The colonisation of South America by prehistoric people occurred in two distinct boom and bust phases of population growth that resembled an invasive species, a study of 1,147 archaeological sites on the continent reveals.

The long-awaited text of the landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is released, with critics highlighting concerns about environmental protections and intellectual property rights in the agreement.